Friederike Krüger
Encyclopedia
Friederike Krüger, alias August Lübeck or Auguste Krüger (8 October 1789, Friedland, Mecklenburg
- 31 May 1848, Templin
) was a soldier in the Prussian army
.
in Germany from 1813 to 1815 in the first company of the Kolbergsches Infanterieregiment (renamed the 9th Grenadier regiment in 1914). Trained as a tailor, at 23 years old she cut off her hair, put on a male costume she had designed herself and obeyed a mobilisation proclamation. Owing to the speed of mobilisation there were no medical examinations and so she was not discovered at first. Her comrades admired her courage very much and were loyal to her, but during one attack her high voice caused the others to realize that she was female. However, she had got into favour with Bravour and so she was not ejected from the army. Indeed, she was even promoted to corporal after the Battle of Möckern
.
At the end of the war she married a Prussian corporal Karl Köhler on 5 March 1816 and left the army. They had four children. She was awarded the Iron Cross
and the Commemorative War Medal by King Frederick William III of Prussia
for her bravery. On her death, she was buried in the St.-Georgen-Friedhof in Templin
, where her grave can still be seen.
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
- 31 May 1848, Templin
Templin
Templin is a small town in the Uckermark district of Brandenburg, Germany. Though it has a population of only 17,127 , it is with 377.01 km2 the second largest town in Brandenburg and the seventh largest town in Germany by area...
) was a soldier in the Prussian army
Prussian Army
The Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
.
Life
She served disguised as a man during the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
in Germany from 1813 to 1815 in the first company of the Kolbergsches Infanterieregiment (renamed the 9th Grenadier regiment in 1914). Trained as a tailor, at 23 years old she cut off her hair, put on a male costume she had designed herself and obeyed a mobilisation proclamation. Owing to the speed of mobilisation there were no medical examinations and so she was not discovered at first. Her comrades admired her courage very much and were loyal to her, but during one attack her high voice caused the others to realize that she was female. However, she had got into favour with Bravour and so she was not ejected from the army. Indeed, she was even promoted to corporal after the Battle of Möckern
Battle of Möckern
The Battle of Möckern was a series of heavy clashes between allied Prusso-Russian troops and Napoleonic French forces south of Möckern. It occurred on 5 April 1813...
.
At the end of the war she married a Prussian corporal Karl Köhler on 5 March 1816 and left the army. They had four children. She was awarded the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
and the Commemorative War Medal by King Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...
for her bravery. On her death, she was buried in the St.-Georgen-Friedhof in Templin
Templin
Templin is a small town in the Uckermark district of Brandenburg, Germany. Though it has a population of only 17,127 , it is with 377.01 km2 the second largest town in Brandenburg and the seventh largest town in Germany by area...
, where her grave can still be seen.